Stephentown Fire Department Wins Grant For Turnout Gear
submitted by Bob Adler
The Stephentown Fire District won a federal grant from the department of Homeland Security for $39,620. We will use this money to buy new turnout gear for our firefighters.
[private]The grant will finance sixteen sets of boots, bunker pants, coats, gloves, hoods, helmets and safety vests. We normally budget one new set of this gear per year, and accommodate the rest of our firefighters by handing down used gear from retiring firefighters to new firefighters. The National Fire Protection Association recently mandated that turnout gear goes obsolete in ten years, so most of our gear is already out of spec.
We triage our turnout gear by providing the newest and best fitting to interior firefighters, and exterior firefighters and support personnel get the hand-me-downs. Turnout gear properly tailored will be less fatiguing and make for more agile firefighters. With an aging membership, we need all the help we can get.
We do our best to keep our responders fully equipped while maintaining reasonable tax rates. Like any family, the Fire District budget has many compromises. Winning a Homeland Security grant is always a long shot, but this exercise in perseverance paid off for Stephentown residents.
Stephentown, and all valley fire departments, are always looking for new recruits. A robust department is in everyone’s best interest.[/private]